Cabbage-core-slitting machine.



A. D. WAGBNHAUSER & H. J. NEWLAND.

CABBAGE CORE SLITTING MACHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED .TAN.10, 1907.

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CABBAGE GORE SLITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED J'AN.10, 1907.

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ANDREW. a, GRAHAM 00.. pnomumoamwnqs; wnsumamn. u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT D. WAGENHAUSER AND HERBERT J. NEWLAND, OF MONROE, MICHIGAN.

CABBAG-E-CORE-SL ITTIN'G MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it 'lrnown that we, ALBERT D. WAGEN- nAUsER and HERBERT J. N EWLAND, citizens of the United States, residing at Monroe, in the county of Monroe, State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oabbage-Core-Slitting Machines; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a machine for slitting cabbage cores, and consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out particularly in the claims.

The object of the invention is to provide simple and etlifcient means for slitting the core of cabbages in such manner as to enable the cores to be properly sliced with the cabbage leaves when the cabbages are presented to the slicing machine, and in providing means for presenting the cabbages successively to the operator and for conveying them away after the operation of slitting the cores.

The above object is attained by the structure illustrated in the accompaying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a cabbage core slitting machine embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof, a portion of one side of the conveyor table being broken away. Fig. 3 is a transverse section. as on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the core-slitting machine. Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 4', the shaft being broken away. Fig. 6 is an elevation of the gearing which drives the coreslitting auger, the side of the case being removed, showing the gearing in position when boring through a core. Fig. '7 is a similar view showing the position of the gearing when retracting the auger. Fig. 8 is a sectional view showing manner of attaching the blades and auger point to the auger shaft.

Referring to the characters of reference, 1 designates a suitable frame which supports the conveyer table 2, said table having the vertical sides 3. Adapted to travel longitudinally of said table are the endless con- Veyer chains 4 which pass over suitable Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 10, 1907.

Patented July 13, 1909.

Serial NOJ 351,698.

sprocket wheels 5 at the opposite ends of the table and are connected by the cross slats having the sharpened pins 7 projecting therefrom. Motion is imparted to the endless conveyer through the medium of the gear wheel 8 on the shaft 9 and one of the sets of sprocket wheels 5, said gear wheel meshing with a pinion 10 on a lower shaft 11 upon which is a belt pulley 12 adapted to be driven through the medium of the belt 13 from any suitable source of power. The pins 7 which project from the cross strips 6 are adapted to enter and engage in the cabbage heads 14 in a manner to hold said heads in position and prevent them turning when the core-slitting auger is entered therein or withdrawn therefrom.

The shaft 15 which drives the auger is jour naled in the bearing arms 16 of a suitable standard 17 and is driven through the modiumv of a grooved pulley 1'8 thereon which is loose upon said shaft, but which may he made fast thereto by means of an inwardly extending arm 20 mounted on a slide bar 21 adapted to be actuated by means of an eccentric 22 pivotally mounted in a bracket 2. carried by said bar and operated through the medium of the handle 24. By a movement of said handle, the bar 21 is actuated. to slide the collar 19 into engagement with the pulley 18 to lock said pulley to the shaft 15, and thereby rotate said shaft. Upon a reverse movement of the handle 24, the spring 25 will move the bar 21 in the opposite direction and disengage the clutch.

Connected with the shaft 15 through a coupling 26 is a flexible shaft 27, the outer end of which is connected with a journal 28 rot'atively mounted in a sleeve 29 projecting from one side of a rectangular case 80. The inner end of said ournal within the case carries a beveled gear wheel 31. Passing vertically through said case at right angles to the journal 28 and mounted to reciprocate longitudinally therethrough is an auger shaft 32 having loosely mounted thereon the beveled gear wheels 33 and 34 which mesh with the beveled gear 31. Fast to the shaft 32 and. rotatable therewith is a clutch collar 35 having a jaw clutch at each end adapted to engage jaw members 36 and 37 on the hubs respectively of the gear wheels 33 and 34.

In the operation of this device the case 30 is held in the hands of the operator and the auger 38 which is mounted on the lowerend of the shaft 32 is placed centrally in the core of a cabbage head and a downward pressure applied to said case. This downward pressure upon the case causes it to slide upon the shaft 32 to carry the aw member 37 on the hub of the gear wheel 34 into engagement with the jaw members at the upper end of the collar 35, as shown in Fig. 6, thereby imparting a rotation to the shaft 32 through the gear wheels 31 and 34, turning the auger to the right and causing it to bore downward through the core of the cabbage by a further downward pressure upon the case 30. As the auger passes downward through the core, the laterally extending blades 39 which are set at the proper incline, slit the core into spiral strips, so that said core may be properly sliced when the cabbage is later presented to the slicing machine, as in the manufacture of kraut. After the core shall have been slit, the auger is withdrawn by lifting upwardly upon the case 30, which movement causes the shaft 32 to slide through the case and carry the collar 35 into engagement with the clutch member on the hub of the gear wheel 33, as shown in Fig. 7, thereby reversing the direction of rotation of the auger shaft through said last-mentioned gear wheel and the gear wheel 31, which movement tends to unscrew the auger from the cabbage head. and assists materially in its withdrawal. A succeeding cabbage head is brought into position by the endless cenveyer and its core slitted in like manner, the operation being repeated as each cabbage head is presented to the operator. The flexibility of the shaft also enables the auger to be directed through the cabbage head at an angle should said head not rest squarely upon the slats of the conveyer. The lateral blades 39 of the auger require frequent sharpening in order to enable them to properly slit the cabbage cores, and for that reason we make them of a separate piece of steel of the requisite temper and attach them to the auger shaft 32 by forming upon the auger point 38 a threaded stem 40 which passes through an aperture in the shank of the blade and screws into a tapped socket in the end of the auger shaft. In this manner the blade may be firmly secured to the auger shaft and at the same time is rendered easily removable for the purpose of sharpening or to enable a new blade to be supplied in case the blade should become broken or injured. This manner of attaching the blade to the shaft is much less expensive than that of forming the blade integral therewith, for in case the blade becomes broken, a new auger shaft is required at considerable expense, while with our separable blade a new blade can be readily supplied to take the place of a broken one with but little expense and without materially delaying the operation of the machine. The thread on the stem of the auger point is preferably a left thread so that the auger point will not unscrew during the operation of slitting the cabbage cores.

Having thus fully set forth our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device for slitting cabbage cores, the combination of a traveling conveyer movable in a horizontal plane for feeding and supporting a cabbage head, a flexible rotary shaft, and an auger geared to the free end of said flexible shaft and movable over said conveyer.

2. In a device for slitting cabbage cores, the combination of a flexible rotary shaft, a conveyor for presenting the cabbages to the machine, an anger geared to the free end of said flexible shaft and movable over said conveyer, said conveyer being provided with means for holding the cabbage heads in place while the anger is operating thereon.

3. In a cabbage core-slitting device, the combination of a flexible, rotary shaft, a core-slitting auger geared to said shaft, and means operatively associated with said shaft and with said auger for changing the direction of rotation of the latter, said means being actuated by the operation of forcing the auger into and withdrawing it from a cabbage head.

4. In a cabbage core-slitting machine, the combination with a movable support for cabbage heads of a flexible, rotary shaft having a freely movable end, a gear wheel connected with the movable end of said shaft, an auger shaft having a gear wheel meshing with the gear wheel connected with the movable end of the flexible shaft, and means for changing the direction of rotation of the auger as it is withdrawn from a head of cabbage.

5. In a cabbage core-slitting machine, the combination with a conveyer adapted to support a cabbage head, of a flexible, rotary shaft, a manually movable gear case which receives said shaft, a gear wheel journaled in said movable case and connected with the end of said shaft, a vertical shaft journaled in the gear case to reciprocate vertically and movable therewith, an auger on the end of the vertical shaft, two gear wheels loose upon the auger shaft within the case, a clutch collar fixed to the auger shaft between said gear wheels thereon, the hubs of said gear wheels having clutch members adapted to be successively engaged by said clutch collar.

In testimony whereof, we sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT D. WAGENIIAUSER. HERBERT J. NEWLAND.

l/Vitnesses:

E. S. WHEELER, 1. G. HowLn'rT. 

